The history of Black America is one that has been stolen, lost and largely forgotten over the past two centuries. Through slavery and more recently the Apartheid-like era of Jim Crow laws, black history has been clouded over with oppression and hatred. Toni Morison's Song of Solomon is an attempt to explore the muddled path of history through the confused life of Milkman Dead. Morrison places Milkman in a world full of characters that are …showed first 75 words of 1741 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1741 total…ng, leaving a changing and decaying history for Milkman to discover. In his discovery and throughout his life, Milkman, in effect becomes his history, embodying the stories that are told and the lessons that are learned. It is in his final trip to the south that he realizes just how close he is connected to the past. In the face of death he finally understands, "If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it"(337).